Thursday, September 7, 2006

LA FESTA AL FRESCO - MOJO VERDE

The lovely Yvonne of "Cream Puffs In Venice" from Toronto (Canada) and Lis of "La Mia Cucina" from Ohio (USA) are hosting the blog event "LA FESTA AL FRESCO". They are in desperate need of help as they want to organize an outdoor feast, but have no clue regarding the food that should be served...

I was asked to participate to this event and share my recipe for a dish that features fresh ingredients. Well, to tell you the truth, I had to do quite a lot of brain-wracking in order to find something that was not totally "mainstream" and that was a little different (at least, as different as possible)! But I did come up with a simple, yet delicious speciality that I readapted (from many different sources) for our biggest gustative pleasure...

So, after hours and days of brain-sweating, I came up with an idea hailing from Spain and more specifically from the Canary Islands: "Mojo Verde" or "Green Sauce".

The genuine local Canarian culinary tradition reflects Spanish, Portugusese, North African and Latin American influences that can be found within many different dishes. Vegetables, fruits and fishes are the basis of this highly interesting cuisine which is far away from the Spanish standards...

The "Salsa Mojo" is a typical Canarian speciality that is made with olive oil, vinegar, a lot of garlic and either green or red bell peppers. It comes in two basic versions: red and green ("Mojo Rojo" & "Mojo Verde"). Generally, the red one is eaten with "Papas Arrugadas" ("Wrinkled Potatoes") which are ovenbaked new potatoes having previously been cooked in sea water. This special treatment gives the potatoes a wrinkled aspect and a wonderful taste. The green sauce is traditionally served with grilled fish "A La Plancha".

~ A "plancha". ~

A traditional meal in the Canary Islands consists of grilled fish and "Papas Arrugadas" accompanied by the fresh coriander sauce "Mojo Verde" or the fiery chilli sauce "Mojo Rojo". In fact, those sauces are so good that they go with just about everything!!!

We particularly loved this sauce as it reminded us a bit of the Italian pesto and it's great versatility. The fresh aspect of "Mojo Verde" is just what one needs during the hotter season. Taste-wise, it was incredibly delicious as all the ingredients' aromas mingled together in order to give a round, garlicky and slightly spicy green flavor that became very fastly addictive!

Try this "Mojo Verde" now and you'll see that it will be a winner on your table and in your kitchen!...

Remarks:If you don't want to use raw garlic, then I recommend you to fry the slices in 2 Tbs olive oil until golden brown. That's what I did...You can add more cilantro if you wish.Add as much water as needed until your "Mojo Verde" paste reaches a thickish pesto consistency.

Serving suggestions:Eat with steamed, boiled or roasted new potatoes, pasta, over bread or salads, as a dip or in any way you find fit.

Hi Rosa,Thanks for visiting my blog. I wanted to return your visit and am glad I did.I have another post, if you'd like to see..Lot's of love from Turkey.Tijen(you can delete the other one, I signed in with my Turkish blog for that one)

IVONNE: Thanks for organizing "La Festa Al fresco" and letting me participate to this event! I'm glad that you've enjoyed my post. "Mojo Verde" is a delicious sauce and I find that it goes with nearly everything...

SHER: Thanks! If you are looking for healthy food, then you have to try this fabulous sauce!

KALYN: Thanks ;-)!

CAMILLE: Merci ;-)!!!

COLETTE: La sauce t'attend!...

TIJEN: Thanks for the kind comment and for your visit! I like your blog a lot and I hope to see you soon again... Love, Rosa.

MUTFATKA ZEN: Many thanks for visiting my blog and for adding it to your list of links!!!